News Archive

Nenita and Nicolas Bardalo of Leyte. Veronica Jaingue of Samar. They are just a few of the names and lives behind the headlines of Typhoon Yolanda. It’s been more than a year and much has been said and done to wipe away the nightmares it caused. In fact, there is danger of it being soon forgotten. Such is the unfortunate nature of current events. But even when headlines fade, it is the strength that now grows in the people, communities, and regions affected by the typhoon that will forever remain.

This strength is one that Mondelēz International has worked to rebuild. The Company formerly named Kraft Foods is one of those who have helped the region brought to its knees to find new strength to stand up again.

The strength to keep living, to keep feeling joy. “We believe that strength comes from being able to stand on your own after a fall. It is what helps you to keep facing challenges and create joy in your life despite them,” relates Maria Cindy Lim, Head of Corporate and Government Affairs of Mondelēz International in the Philippines.

The Company that aims to create delicious moments of joy started their efforts to build back the strength of those affected by the tragedy by adopting one public elementary school in Tacloban, Leyte for its three-year “Joy Schools” program. By providing a 9-month feeding program, teacher training, and facilities improvement, the adopted school aims to not only return to normal but to be better – a model school in fact.

To create more joy, Mondelēz International in the Philippines has also adopted one public elementary school in Tacloban, Leyte under a 3-year partnership called the Joy Schools program. With this support, the Company aims to help the school regain their strength and be a model school in the future.

Similarly, by supporting the global poverty-fighting organization CARE, homes and lives were made stronger with Mondelēz International’s help. CARE works in 87 countries to support nearly 1,000 poverty-fighting humanitarian-aid projects. In the one year after Yolanda, CARE with the support of Mondelēz International, has helped 27,000 households to be stronger through livelihood grants and by helping create sturdier homes for their families.

A stronger house means a stronger home. Nenita and Nicolas Bardalo of Maricum in the Province of Leyte received training and financial support from CARE to rebuild their home. When Typhoon Yolanda struck, their home was utterly destroyed. The couple then had to live with their two children in a makeshift house. Nenita said she had a sore back from hunching over all the time in their makeshift dwelling and they constantly banged their heads on the ceiling.

The Bardalo family of Leyte stands in front of their newly-constructed home, which they have made stronger through the support of CARE and Mondelēz International.

Now Nenita and Nicolas are proud to show their rebuilt home with stronger walls and roofing. Nicolas was one of the community carpenters trained to “build back safer” and help others do the same. The couple also received cash assistance to complete their home repair. Nenita says they ensured the money was spent wisely on shelter materials.

Stronger women make strong families. The typhoon washed away the home, cooking materials, and sari-sari store of Veronica Jaingue from Basey, Samar. Veronica had always been self-sufficient, earning a living from her store and cooking vegetables to sell to neighbors. But the typhoon put a stop to her independence, taking away all she had. She had to go through months without a source of income.

Businesswoman Veronica Jaingue from Basey, Samar has regained the strength to stand on her own again after the tragedy of Typhoon Yolanda. The financial grant provided by CARE through the help of Mondelēz International has encouraged Veronica to restart her sari-sari store and even embark on a new food business.

A livelihood grant from CARE changed all that. Now, Veronica is standing tall and strong again. Through the grant she was able to restart her store and even gain the courage to start a new business. She has since begun successfully selling homemade ginger tea and pickles. Now, she even gets big orders for weddings or events in her town. Want to know what Veronica’s new dream is? Seeing her products on the shelves of a big mall.

“I was happy when I started earning again, that I even bought sandals for myself,” shares the 79-year old widow and mother of two. “It was so rewarding to be able to afford that for myself. I also want to save for the future. So that when I stop working, I still have money for my needs,” she ends.

These are the stories of strong people with brighter futures. “These stories are what inspire us to keep creating joy for our community,” adds Lim. “Hopefully, the people who have regained their strength will continue to inspire others. So that more and more people can stand strong - even those not affected by Typhoon Yolanda, and create joy for themselves.”